DES201 - 2018, Week01: Mechanical Design by 1701807 Mark
Base Controls (PlayStation 4) Core mechanics: As Mason, a highly trained operative you have superior skills to that of most other inhabitants of the UFC (United Federation Colonies). These skills though offering some affordances do not make you immortal; you need to use your cunning and keen insight to survive in this world. Stealth; Mason’s best strategy, avoiding enemies and completing the mission without them even realising you have arrived ensures a successful endeavour. Mason can avoid patrols and sensor sweeps by hiding in the shadows, ducking behind cover whilst holding his/her breath and through short term disruptors respectively. From the shadows Mason can also utilize stealth to takedown enemies, though against organised forces with scheduled check-ins the enemies received increased alertness dependent on lost comrades making it harder to reach the end goal. Trapping; Mason rigs exposed equipment/tools from and around the environments/inventory to distract, or subdue enemies, by using this method Mason makes the incidents look like accidents and natural hazards, this is an effective way to help thin enemy forces without having to alert them to your presence with excessive take downs or to run in guns blazing. This method is meticulous and requires patience as such Mason can only carry three traps into a mission and must use the environments for more if any at all. Combat: A last resort for Mason’s specific skillset; as a skilled orbital sniper Mason can thin the enemy ranks from afar a useful way to takeout a dangerous isolated enemy, but also a sure fire way to be discovered and alert all enemies in the vicinity to your presence if used incorrectly. Mason can use the sights to assist in non-violent ways, via night vision to provide a view in dark areas and a thermal imager to show heat signatures, this allows Mason to plan her/his path more effectively and plan ahead. Ranged; Mason needs to be in an elevated position to use the rifle, whilst in an acceptable position Mason must spend set up time 2 (seconds) unpacking and repacking the rifle when entering and exiting firing mode. In firing mode mason can activate up to a 4x zoom (base 2) after modifiers from factions that works with basic, night and thermal overlays. Short; When on the ground Mason is limited to only using a sidearm pistol grade weapon, this is good if you still have the element of surprise, and can take down a few enemies quickly but in prolonged fights Mason is extremely disadvantaged against enemy forces that can possess automatic weapons. Dialogue Mechanic; PIC – (Player Incremental Characteristics) Mason does not have a combat stat system and is instead improved via modifications he/she unlocks/discovers over the course of missions and side quests or as modifiers that can be purchased from friendly factions. PIC are the governing stats of the game, and decide what paths Mason can take and ultimately how Mason’s story shall end. The PIC’s incorporate the following: Base PIC: Presence – 1 Influence – 1 Charm – 1 The PIC can be increased by progressing through the game and making choices interacting with other characters, and grow based on those choices made by Mason. When interacting with other characters Mason undergoes a PIC check to assess the dialogue options available depending on that score dialogue options will be made available and unavailable respectively thus guiding Mason down the path he/she created by how he/she acted throughout the game. The first choice of these begins to define how Masons story shall progress allowing them to choose between all options and begin defining there personality, depending on how Mason responded e.g. Persuasively, that gives Mason practice and the new stats for Mason after that first decision would be: Presence – 1 Influence – 1 Charm – 2 Later in the game Mason may find that they are unable to coerce people in the manner they chose because they don’t have enough experience with that attribute. E.g. In the above scenario Mason has decided to try spread out to become a more diverse conversationalist but instead the lack of specification has restricted the options, meaning that the only possible route is to strike a deal or bribe Major Eric and progress down that story route. The mechanics of the dialogue trees alongside the modulated story structure doesn’t necessarily mean that a different combination will lead to a different ending it may change the middle of the story but eventually come back full circle to wear you ended previously, or have only one slight difference that changes the ending. Thus allowing multiple play-through and an ever changing story. Not only do these conversations influence PIC and story progression but they also contribute to how the opposing Factions throughout the UFC view Mason, it does not necessarily mean that threatening every dialogue option will always net you negative reputation with a faction some maybe impressed with your strengths or guts to make such claims, whereas other might be distraught that you have charmed an ally away from their cause.